Kenneth Lam
Snow Patrol’s “Signal Fire” starts off with a slightly sad melody but the chorus will lift you up with lyrics like “In the confusion and the aftermath, you are my signal fire”.
Though I’m not a fan of Snow Patrol, learning of the title only when I listened to the Spider-man 3 Official Soundtrack, I thought it brilliantly brought out the humane side of Spider-man (Peter Parker) at the start of the film. Speaking of the piece, it certainly was the right choice for the beginning of the movie. Right timing, just like Spider-man’s acute spider sense.
Another track that complements the movie soundtrack’s single it is “Scared of Myself” by Simon Dawes. This song by the greenhorn Californian band acts like a bridge between the audience and Spider-man, allowing the former to relate to the superhero as human. It sounded best when Peter Parker’s suit suddenly turned black because of the symbiote enveloping him and the thought of revenge and anger overwhelming him, creating a moment when you’ll still pat Peter on the back and say “It’s okay” even when his aggression has gotten the better of him.
I must say that the current album feels somewhat not as awesome in comparison to the Spider-man 2 official soundtrack. The earlier release had really great hits from Dashboard Confessional’s “Vindicated” to the Lostprophets’ “Lucky You”. Those songs were the kind that spoke and could connect with you no matter where you listened to them – whether in the theatre or simply by playing them off your stereo set. So it’s fairly disappointingly to note that its successor doesn’t feel quite as intimate.
This time round, after you’ve stepped out of the theatre, it’s difficult to ‘connect’ to the songs. I spoke to a few music junkies about how they felt after purchasing the soundtrack. All 6 told me that the album felt quite meaningless as it didn’t resonate with the film.
However, some other great tracks from Spider-man 3 soundtrack has got to be from The Killers and Jet. The Killers’ ‘Move Away’ especially, presents a high energy transition into the main story of the movie right after Snow Patrol. Hearing such an upbeat tune makes you enthusiastic about wanting to stay for the whole show and find out the ending.
I was quite surprised with myself for being able to tolerate “Pleased To Meet You” by Wolfmother. Though noisy, its presence made a pleasant contrast with the opening song and provided a livelier transition into the movie in the same vein that ‘Move Away’ did. The song was most useful during the fight scenes; enhancing the punches and kicks until it felt like I was a hair’s breadth from a heart attack.
One turnoff was The Walkmen’s “Red River”. It wasn’t exactly a great song. Introversive and acoustic, it definitely didn’t really catch my fancy as well as “Scared of Myself”.
‘The Twist’ from Chubby Checker and “Summer Day” by Coconut Records mellowed the mood of the audience with some lighthearted country and jazz tunes. By the way, “Summer Day” is a duet between actor/musician Jason Schwartzman and Kristen Dunst, who plays the movie’s heroine Mary Jane Watson. And yes, the voice you heard in the movie singing in Broadway was hers as well.
But the songs that best fit the whole storyline have got to be Black Mountain’s “Stay Free” and Rogue Wane’s “Sightlines”. These contemporary rock tunes best capture the whole dilemma facing Peter Parker, from saving the Earth to being in love. They make you go ‘aww…’ and very sympathetic towards Peter.
However, perhaps the most anticipated piece goes to The Flaming Lips’ “The Supreme Being Teaches Spiderman How To Be In Love”. As quirky as it may sound, this blue and achy piece presents a complete picture of the superhero’s struggles with love. A really sweet one.
UrbanWire gives Spiderman-3 Official Soundtrack 3.5 out of 5 stars
Spiderman-3 Official Soundtrack will be out in music stores from May 1.